Ra
In Egyptian mythology, Ra (Egyptian: R'') is the god of the sun, identified primarily by the noon sun. He rules in all parts of the created world: the sky, the earth, and the Underworld. He is associated with the falcon and hawk, and his sacred symbol is the sun disk. Ra's other sacred animals include a ram, a beetle, a phoenix, a heron, a serpent, a bull, a cat, and a lion. To the Egyptians, the sun represents light, warmth, and growth. This makes Ra a very important deity, as the sun is seen as the ruler of all that has been created. Ra is a self-created being and, thus, has no parents. Ra is the father of Shu, Tefnut, Bastet, Sekhmet, Hathor, Anhur, and Thoth. Mythology Underworld Ra travels on the Atet, two solar barks called the ''Mandjet ("morning boat") and the Mesektet ("evening boat"). These boats take him on his journey through the sky and the Underworld. While Ra is on the Mesektet, he is in his ram-headed form. Also, while traveling on these sun boats, he is accompanied by Sia, Hu and Heka. Apep is an enormous serpent who attempts to stop the sun boat's journey every night by consuming it or by stopping it in its tracks with a hypnotic stare. During the evening, the night boat carries him through the Underworld and back towards the east in preparation for his rebirth. Apep was born from Ra's umbilical cord, indicative of how evil is the result of free will rather than a primordial force. Relationships Khepri and Khnum Khepri is a scarab deity who rolls up the sun in the morning and is sometimes seen as the morning m anifestation of Ra. Similarly, the ram-headed god Khnum is seen as the evening manifestation of Ra. With Khepri and Khnum taking precedence over the sunrise and sunset, Ra often is the representation of midday when the sun reaches its peak at noon. Bastet Bastet is sometimes known as the "cat of Ra". She is also his daughter and is associated with Ra's instrument of vengeance, the sun god's eye. Bastet is known for decapitating the serpent Apep to protect Ra. Sekhmet and Hathor Sekhmet is another daughter of Ra. Sekhmet is depicted as a lioness or large cat and is an "eye of Ra" or an instrument of the sun god's vengeance. In one myth, Sekhmet was so filled with rage that Ra was forced to turn her into a cow so that she would not cause unnecessary harm. In another myth, Ra feared that mankind is plotting against him and sends Hathor, another daughter of Ra, to exterminate the human race. In the morning, Sekhmet goes to finish the job and drinks what appears to be blood. It turns out to be red beer and she is too intoxicated to finish the slaughter. Isis Isis frequently schemes against Ra as she wants her son, Horus, to have his power. In one myth, Isis created a serpent to poison Ra and only gave him the antidote when he revealed his true name to her. Ever since, Ra has feared Isis as, with his secret name revealed, she could now use all her power against him and have Horus take over the throne. Apep Apep is the god of chaos and Ra's greatest enemy. He is said to lie just below the horizon line, trying to devour Ra as Ra descends into the Underworld every evening. As he swallows Ra, this leads to the setting of the sun and when he has completely swallowed Ra, this leads to night-time. He never succeeds in completely swallowing Ra, however, as he eventually spits Ra back out, causing the sun to rise. Category:Egyptian mythology Category:Egyptian deities Category:Egyptian gods